Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to printers and, more particularly, to remotely accessible printing devices.
Description of the Related Art
Many printing devices, such as label and tag printers including various kinds of thermal printers, require physical connections to computers for providing various kinds of printing-related functionality. In many instances, a computer must be physically connected to a printer for providing firmware, software applications and data for the printer.
Some printers, including label and tag printers, operate as stand-alone units, without requiring a computer to be physically attached for operation. In these cases, a printer may be configured with memory, an input device such as a keyboard, and an output device such as a display screen, for information to be provided from and to operators. Typically, a label and tag printer is configured with one or more custom software program applications that provide selectable menu options shown on the display screen, and that receive user input from the operator. Customized data output may also be managed as a function of software applications. Eventually, however, even printing devices that operate as stand-alone units need to physically interface with a computer, for example, for maintenance, upgrades of software or the like.
In many cases, it is not suitable to include a computer in a particular environment. Space may be extremely limited, cost may be a factor, or other conditions may exist that impede the usefulness or ability for a computer to be connected to a printer at any given time.